Continuous linear closing devices



Oct. 27, 1959 A. B. BOTTl E AL CONTINUOUS LINEAR CLOSING DEVICES FiledSept. 10. 1954 e 9 e N 2 /7//7 1 /1/%4 3 9 F G. 2 I' NNNNN TOR/SARGENTIN BENJAM|N BOTTI OTTO ERNST PABST g .Lj

TTTTTT EY United States. Patent a il .-2,909,822 I 'c'oNTNUoUsmE-AR'CEOSNGDEVCES :Argentina Benjamin Bottianil btto Ernst Pabst,

v Cordoba-,.Argentina "Applicationseptember 10, 1954,SeriLNo. '455,'319

' :s Claims. (c. cuan :The present' inventionrefers-:to:certaintimprovements in continuous lnear closing devices,particularly of :the kind consisting of :plastic material-:and providedwiththe necessary 'means for bringing-about mutual interl'ocking i ofadjacentparts which -in this mannerrare "definitely fastened. I I

;Many :devices of the-'kind specified' are already known to provide aclose and-safe. fastening, being 'employed,

or at least being provided, for' 'the purpose of advantageouslyreplacing the so-called zip fasteners. In this,.however, the 'zippershavebeeduns'uo'cessful due to lack of precision and tightness in themanufacture of the devices, 'or due 'to deficient arrangement of thecomponent. parts.

` I`n fact, .it will be 'recognized that'the parts-andarrangementthereof so farproposed as-'entirely novel,'con1- ;prisng longitudinalribbon-like stripsintegrally provided with anchor orsimilarlooking-and-engagng means, have :not yet given .proof of being entirelysafe or, 'whatds the same, their complete and secure closure is notalways subject to the' users will. 'It-'happens thus that the partsarranged for. proper lockingcome apart quite-easily, :particularly inview of the flexibility'o'f strip-like members, which -therefore becomereadily;displaced, individually or together. The consequence of this isthat the device opens, with resultant effects on the article of Clothingor other object to which the fastener is applied.

The device according to the present invention, on the contrary, isprovided with substantially improved means greatly superior to all sucharrangements known or used to date. These improvements, object of thepresent invention, consist in providing the strips of plastic or similarmaterial constituting the support at each side of the fastener, with apair of looking members arranged, on the one side, at the edge of thesupporting 'strip and, on the other side, in a region close to said edgeand parallel thereto, representing an intermediate longit udinal band ofa substantially flexible nature and which, in combinaticn with therespective pairs of confronting members and a further member speoiallyformed for greater relative flexibility, enables a tight closure to beobtained, only to be loosened at the user s option. Said looking oranchoring efiect is obtained automatically or by means of a runnerspecially furnished for connecting or disconv necting the lookingmembers. This runner is not essentially necessary for the operation ofthe present closing devioe.

The invention likewise envsages other accessory objects, as will be madeclear in the course of the present description.

In order that the present invention may be more readly understood andput into practice, a preferred embodiment thereof has been illustratedin attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic and cross-sectional View of a pair of stripsarranged as looking supports, showing the manner in which one is adaptedto the other.

Figure 2 is a likewise sectional view of the' devce adapted toa-complemeitary runner member, if the use of such` is-'preferre'd,`'illus'trati'ng' the manner in which'one 'of-the' locking members isoffset -to' connect with its counter-part. 5 Finally: v

` `Figure 3 illustrate's a *lengthwise-part section 'of the lookingdevice provided with-a runner member, 'following line A-B of Figure 2.

Like'numerals represent like or-similar parts-throughout the" severalfigures o'f the'drawings.

With reference to the embodiment illustrated `in the drawings, thezipper'object of-the present invention com- 'prises supporting bands-orstrips --1 arranged for mutual 'overlapping 'along their edges and the'portions adjacent thereto, in "order to fulfill their' essentialpurpose. -Each of said bands or strips at its *corresponding edgesisshaped with a pair of locking'members 2, 3, -'4 and 5, respectivelyarranged in pairs and substantially faoing-one another-so as toleavebetween 'each-pair of members a 0 'strip' defining -a-` flexin`g*zone tor `secure 'looking of the I 3 'said members once'sar'ne havebeen connected, thus pro- -vidingyawell-defined 'stabilizing area in theposition 'occupied by the'locked members.

As can 'be seen inthe Fig. 1, hooklike looking mem- '*ber 3'has aVertical portion extending upwardly from strip '1, and an integralhorizontal end -portion fa'cing locking member 2. 'Looking-member 2 hasa vertical `-por`tion^exte`nding upwardly from strip 1, an integral'hori- "zo'ntalportion extending in 'the directionof looking member '3,said 'h'orizontal *portion terminating in an integral verticalendportion downwardly directed and facing strip '1. It -is thus seen thathoo'k-like looking members 'generally faceeach other, although theirends define planes `approximately `90 'with 'respect' to each other.

T- hS-arrangementcan 'be' clearly seen in -Figures' '1 ;and :2,particularly in Figure '1, illustrating the manner in which thelocking'members are arranged. Membersz 'and 3 represe'nt "the`'re'eeivi'ng''p'arts of oneof the "strips -(1 complemented `*by'equivalent counterparts of 'the opposing strip. In order to bring aboutlooking action, member 2 must be olfset, which ofisetting is madepossible by the provision of a flexing part obtained by reducing thethiokness of the strip in that area, said reduced portion forming achannel 6, as shown in Figure 1.

In case it should be preferred to use an additional member for bringingabout looking action, a runner 7 can be provided, having an interposingmember 8 which is run between the two parts 1 of the zipper,particularly between the adjacent edges of looking members 2-3, on 0 theone hand, and 4-5 on the other. This runner 7,

in the hollow corresponding to member 2, is provided with a chamferedpart, in such a manner that during displacement it produces a slightofsetting of the looking member, as seen in Figure 2. This oifsetting isclearly favoured by the thinner section 6, the entire arrangementpermitting free disposal of the strip edge of member 4-5 and nearbyarea, between the two `complementary members 2- 3. Once the runner haspassed, the interlocking position of the members is ensured inasmuch asmembers 3 and 5 constitute the looking parts and members 2 and 4 theholding or retaining parts thereof, thus completing the closure.

It should be clearly pointed out that the members or means furnished toprovide flexibility to the whole, can

be summarized as represented by slit 6 which, in turn, is substantiallyformed by a particularly reduced section arranged to form asubstantially resilienthinge. This feature has a double purpose: that ofpermitting separation of member 2 in order to insert the counterpart ofthe opposite strip,

and of preventing unlooking of mem V bers 3 and 6 when subject totension or traction in length- I wise direction to the planes ofsections 1. t 'Under 'these i circumstances the set of members 2 and 4cannot come assembly. This cloth or other appropriate similar materialis incorporated in the strip thermally or through some other processenabling both materials to be joined integrally.

The invention in the manner described and illustrated may be clearlyunderstood and further explanations will not be required by those versedin the matter.

Inasmuch as sundry changes as to construction and detail may evidentlybe introduced without thereby departing from the real nature of thisinvention, it is to be understood that the description and drawings arein no way limitative or restrictive, the scope of the invention beingclearly defined in the following claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a continuous fastener combination comprising a pair of supportingstrips provided with cooperating hookshaped sections longitudinallydisposed for mutual engagement and separation, the improvement whereinone of said supporting strips has laterally spaced longitudinallyextending hook-like locking members, said book-like locking membersgenerally facing each other, the inner surfaces of said hook-likelocking members termnating in planar surfaces approximately 90 Withrespect to each other, said inner surfaces dening the hook-like shape ofsaid hook-like locking members, the book-like locking member remote fromthe end of said strip having a portion of increased fiexibility disposedin the region of said book-like member where said hook-like member joinssaid strip, the other of said strips having an edge portioncomplementary'to the space defined by said hooklike locking members oneof said planar surfaces being generally perpendicular to the plane ofits supporting strip, and the other of said planar surfaces beinggenerally parallel to the plane of the same supporting strip.

2. In a continuous fastener combination comprising a pair of supportingstrips provided with cooperating hook shaped sections longitudinallydisposed for mutual engagement and separation, the improvement whereinone of said supporting strips has lateral-ly spaced longitudinallyextending book-like looking members, the book-like locking membernearest the edge of said strip having a vertical portion extendingupwardly from said strip and an integral horizontal end portionextending toward the other hook-like locking member on said strip, saidend portion having a horizontal planar surface facing said strip, saidother book-like locking member having a first vertical portion extendingupwardly from said strip, an integral horizontal portion extending inthe direction of the first book-like looking member and termnating in anintegral vertical end portion downwardly directed toward said supportingstrip, said end portion having a vertical planar surface facing saidfirst vertical portion, said second hook-like looking member having aportion of increased exibility disposed in the region where the upwardlyextending vertical portion joins said strip, the other of said stripshaving an edge portion complementary to the space defined by saidhook-like looking members.

3. A continuous fastener combination as recited in claim 2 in which saidportion of increased fiexibility is constituted by forming the portionof said vertical member of increased flexibility thinner than theremainder of said hook-like locking member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSl,959,3l9 Sipe May 15, 1934 2,141,900 Brown Dec. 27, 1938 2,558,367Madsen June 26, 1951 2,602,208 Gossner July 8, 1952 2,6l3,421 MadsenOct. 14, 1952 2,665,467 Bosomworth Jan. 12, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 497,743Belgium Dec. 16, 1950 5ll,l94 Belgium Nov. 6, 1952 636,072 Great BritainApr. 19, 1950

